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A Novel Solvent‐based Method to Separate Duct Tape from Porous Surface for Fingerprint Development
Author(s) -
Tan Tony T.F.,
Law Pecky P.K.,
Kwok Stephen W.K.,
Yeung Wilson W.L.,
Ho WaiChuen,
Chung WaiKeung,
Au BingChiu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.14146
Subject(s) - solvent , porosity , fingerprint (computing) , porous medium , duct (anatomy) , chromatography , materials science , smooth surface , computer science , chemistry , composite material , artificial intelligence , organic chemistry , surgery , medicine
In this study, we have proposed a novel solvent‐based method using a specific concentration of 3M™ Novec™ HFE ‐72 DE and 7200 solvents to untangle duct tape from porous article with minimal impact to the quality of latent fingerprint deposited on the sticky‐side surface of duct tape. A series of experiments determined that a mixture of 30% HFE ‐72 DE :7200 (v/v) was found to be the most effective to separate various brands of duct tape from different types of porous surface, including office copy paper, newspaper, cardboard, and tissue wipe, which had been stored for up to 30 days before untangling. Further studies also revealed that 30% HFE ‐72 DE :7200 was compatible with three common fingerprint development methods for porous articles, namely ninhydrin, indanedione‐zinc, and physical developer. The nonflammability and low toxicity nature of this novel solvent mixture also make it ideal for separating duct tape from porous surface in laboratory or at crime scene.